Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Leave it to Rebecca Serle to make me shed a tear.

The main protagonist, Daphne Bell has believe that the universe is looking out for her, by leaving her little slips of paper that tell her how long a relationship will last before it fizzles. This is my third read of this author so I didn't find that premise ridiculous. In fact, I was locked in from the very first chapter to see where this wild ride would take me. The chapters bring us from the present to the past and we learn of all Daphne's up and down battles with finding her one true love.

Quite early on, I could feel that there were going to be a few twists and I wasn't wrong. Like other early reviewers, I must echo that the one drawback was the expectation of a deeper message. Also, I wanted more information regarding those slips of paper. Who was writing them? However, I was satisfied with the ending which as I stated brought a few tears.

A beautiful contemporary romance.


Expected Publication Date 19/03/24
Goodreads Review 16/02/24

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
Release Date: 3/19/24
Format: gifted ebook by @netgalley
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I feel like Rebecca Serle is an author most folks have big feelings on. I had only ever read One Italian Summer by her and I absolutely adored it, so I took a gamble and requested Expiration Dates when I was browsing NetGalley a couple of months back. While I didn’t love it as much as One Italian Summer, I still really enjoyed this quick read!

Daphne Bell has a secret. She gets a piece of paper from the universe prior to each romantic relationship she embarks on that lets her know exactly how long it would last. This is such an interesting premise that opens itself up to conversations about how we live our lives when we have certain intel.

I really dug the premise, the characters, and the glimpses of Daphne’s backstory we get through her past relationships. Plus any book with dogs are usually a win in my opinion!

All in all, this book is quick and certainly worth the read! There were just a couple of things that felt rushed to me and I wish Serle would have dug a little deeper and let this book be a little more painful at certain moments. It almost felt surface level and I loved the idea so much, I just wanted a little more!

3.5 stars
Daphne keeps getting pieces of paper with men's name on them and how long their relationship will last. They come into her life for a brief moment and then are gone just as quickly. One man, Hugo, is her best friend and has managed to stay in her life, still in love with her. One day she meets Jake and he's perfect, and with no expiration date. Will they last or will someone else finally show her that the dates don't matter, that it is more important to live in the here and now? This story was interesting, a different type of romance book that you don't read all that often, not the cookie cutter romance. I enjoyed Hugo's portion of the story and the end was sweet. I'm glad Daphne can get her HEA. I would recommend this book but at times I felt like I just wanted a little more from the main character, a little more emotion.

Thanks to NetGalley, Rebecca Serle, and Atria books for allowing me to review this ARC!

Maybe my favorite book by Serle so far! It has a very interesting concept with great dialogue. The banter is charming and it develops a connection with the characters.

The plot starts out a little obvious - but that actually works in this case. Ever since middle school, Daphne has been receiving notes indicating who her next love would be and how long that relationship would last. This provides her life (and the story) a great sense of ease and predictably.

Then comes the twist…I truly didn’t see it coming and it provides the story with pop another layer of complexity and much needed depth.

I can’t help be feel that this book needed one more draft. The pacing is a little off for me - some bits are unnecessarily descriptive while other beautiful and moving parts are glossed over too quickly.

But over all, a very intriguing and unique read! I am so grateful to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read it!

4.25 stars 🌟

"What I see now, emerging in the mirror, is this one, simple truth: learning to be broken is learning to be whole."

I loved the premise of this book - can you imagine knowing how long every relationship is going to last before the relationship starts? I feel like this could be such a blessing and a curse. I loved how the twist brought more depth to the overall story.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Let me start by saying I absolutely loved this book!

This is a book about life and love. Daphne receives a slip of paper with a name and a number on it. The number represents how much time she'll spend in a relationship with that person. She finally recieves a paper with just a name on it, Jake, and no number. This story is not only Jake and Daphne's love story but it is interspersed with stories of her time with every other person she received a paper for. This is no oridnary love story. By the end you'll be looking for tissues and thinking deeply about life and love. Plus there's an adorable dog!

I flew through this book and read it in less than a day. It was beautiful writing and a breathtaking story. I loved hearing Daphne's love life adventures and how she felt about knowing when they were going to end. Sometimes I was frustrated and just wanted to get back to her and Jake's love story, but it all makes sense in the end. Hugo was an interesting character I didn't know how to feel about for a while because of his cockiness and him being a bit of a player. Her parents seemed like the sweetest people and watching Daphne grow throughout the book was wonderful.

It's so hard to write this review without spoiling anything! Just read it, it will be so worth your time. It's an absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking, and touching story. Rebecca Serle, I can't wait to read more of your books. I have clearly been missing out!

A couple of of my favorite quotes:

"Learning to be broken is learning to be whole"

"Protection and love are not the same thing. Love says, I will try and I will fail. Love says, Despite. Love says, and yet and yet and yet.

An interesting premise: Daphne gets a paper telling her exactly how long she will be in her relationships. Finally she gets one without an end date so she can only assume he is “the one.”

There was a twist towards the end that I truly didn’t see coming and I’ve thought about it nonstop since I finished the book.

I truly enjoy this author’s writing style; however, I struggle with some of the themes mixed into the story. I don’t love the idea of putting oneself first when you’ve made a commitment to another person. That’s just my take and something that felt hard for me to get over.

If you liked this authors prior books, I’m confident you’ll like this one too!

I loved One Italian Summer and In Five Years, so i was so excited to read this ARC by Rebecca Serle! This one didn’t disappoint. The writing was captivating and the premise pulled me in right away. Daphne receives a tiny slip of paper every time she meets a new love interest - along with the exact amount of days they’ll be together. When Jake’s slip arrives, there is only his name - no numbers. Is this her forever love?

The magical/fantasy aspect of “what would you do if you had the power to know…” had big The Measure vibes for me. Daphne has a secret that is revealed at around 60% that I can’t give away without spoiling, but it’s also the part I want to talk about most, so spoiler alert below:

The revelation about Daphne’s heart condition and medical issues caught me off guard and kind of hit me like an emotional wrecking ball, as I have had my own traumatic experience with heart surgeries, hospital stays, being sick, feeling scared and needing to be taken care of. Rebecca’s descriptions of these experiences completely resonated with me and hit home in a big way. TBH this reveal kind of came out of nowhere, which I don’t really know what other people will make of, but because it related so weirdly close to my own experience, I enjoyed reading it and felt understood

Overall, I loved the story, the ending, and the message of understanding yourself, taking control of your destiny, and living your life to the fullest while you can because it's the only one you've got,

Serle is an amazing writer and I was very excited for this one. Happy to say she did not let me down. The premise was fascinating and unique: the main character, Daphne, gets a slip of paper whenever she meets a new beau indicating how long they'll be together. And every single paper indeed had an expiration date. Until Jake. There is no expiration date on the paper with his name and Daphne is left to wonder, is this finally her forever guy? The story continues on with her growing relationship with Jake, her friendship with her former love and now best friend Hugo, and flashbacks to previous relationships over her life.

Rebecca Serle writes it, I read it. This is my third book by her, and I'll say, if you loved In Five Years then you'll almost certainly enjoy this one. I spent half the book uncertain of how to feel due to the romance but guys, TRUST THE PROCESS. Everything came together in a beautiful way and no stone was left unturned. I love how she takes a contemporary story and adds the perfect amount of magical realism. It's no easy feat and she knocks that aspect out the park every time. My favorite character by far was Hugo but Daphne grew on me, and I found her very relatable. There is a twist that I still can't decide if I loved or hated but I understand why Serle included it, it definitely added to why Daphne was the way she was and what the notes signified to her. I loved how reflective the story was and the message of taking life into your own hands. What even is fate?

Highly recommend to fans of women's fiction, contemporary romance, flashbacks, and magical realism. For being on the shorter side, it definitely packed an emotional punch.

4.5

The premise of EXPIRATION DATES was very interested— a woman has been getting notes throughout her life with a name and an amount of time, which indicate the length of the relationship she will have with the man named. Then she receives on with no time frame and navigates thinking this will be her forever person. I struggled with this book because it was just too surface level. We don’t get to know who the MC is very well and so many partnerships are introduced. I also wasn’t a big fan of her former lover/friend and his actions especially toward the end of the book. The overall concept was cool, but I was not invested and it fell pretty flat for me.

Short synopsis: Anytime Daphne meets a man, she receives a slip of paper from the Universe telling her just how long their relationship will last. When she meets Jake, there’s no number listed.

My thoughts: I was immediately completely enthralled with this book. I couldn’t put it down!

The time flashes from Daphne’s past relationships, to her friendship with Hugo, and budding relationship with Jake had me completely captivated. I definitely had a male character I was rooting for the entire time!

The narration by Julia Whalen was amazing, I will almost always pick up audio of anything she narrates. She told the story flawlessly and really helped me as the reader feel the tender feelings Rebecca wrote into the story.

Read if you love:
- Romance mixes with a little magical realism
- Time flashes
- Jewish rep
- Self discovery

3.5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, this was not a bad book, but it simply wasn’t amazing either. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of the novel. Since the fifth grade, our main character, Daphne, has been receiving surprise pieces of paper. Nothing is written on them aside from a name and a length of time, as the papers are providing expectations for her romantic relationships before they even occur. When a sheet a paper arrives with a name only and no duration, does this mean she will finally be meeting her soulmate? The blank must mean forever, right? In my opinion, the book was too short for me to develop any connections with its characters. While at times it was not overly special, I think I would still encourage people to read it (unless you hate love triangles… then don’t 🤣). I don’t feel like I wasted my time; I just think I wanted more substance. A so-so book with a nice message to always follow your heart.

I love the way that romance isn’t the most important part of her plots but they still manage to give me all the feels and have me cheering the couple on. I was really happy when Daphne found herself and her one true love. The best part, for me, was when Daphne stopped letting the pieces of paper dictate her life and she took control of her choices herself and remembers you only have one life so live it to your best ability to be happy no matter how long or short it is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy

Every since she was young, Daphne Bell has received a piece of paper when she meets a new man that has his name and the amount of time they'll be together. For 20 year's she's been taking the numbers in stride and experiencing the relationships as they come while secretly wondering if she'll ever find a relationship that will last. When she goes on her most recent blind date, the paper just says "Jake".

The paper has told her that Jake is her one and only, but as she gets to know him better and their relationship progresses, she starts to wonder if the paper got it right and if they're really meant to be. Will she ever really be able to trust her fragile heart?

This is the first time I've read a novel by Rebecca Searle as all the others I've listened to on audio and it was still a wonderful experience! This story didn't go quite in the direction I anticipated, but that was a good thing as the story line I expected would have likely had me sobbing. My only regret is reading it so fast that I now have that much longer before I get to read her next book!

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a ebook copy to read and review!

I loved this book. I can't say much without giving the story away, but in true Rebecca Serle fashion, She grabs our hearts and holds on to the very end. This is a book about living. Choosing. Love. What will we let dictate our lives? How much weight will we give the universe in mapping our story?

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love romance mixed with magical realism! 💞And Rebecca Stele’s romances have been some of my favorites!

🗓️ OUT MARCH 19

Expiration Dates has so much depth and emotion while also being sweet and hopeful for love. Also love the twists / reveal!

Thanks to @netgalley for my advanced copy!
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booklover #kindlebooks #expirationdates #rebeccaserle #netgalley

Daphne's story is so unique and I loved it. We learn that she knows how long she will date each person, there is her current timeline and also flashbacks to her past dating experiences. I suggest going into this book blindly as it's a beautiful and wonderful book. I am thankful that I am married and out of the dating scene, but I enjoyed reading about Daphne's experiences and the different people she meets along the way but also her support group (parents, friends, coworkers etc.)

Solid 3 star read – It wasn’t my favorite book of Serle’s but worth a read as it is quick and entertaining. Daphne receives a note with names and time frames on them, which indicates how long the relationship with that person will last. The story follows Daphne’s current relationship as well as revisits past relationships. The character development was lacking – the only character that I felt anything for was Jake. I figured out where it was going in the last half, but I did like how the book ended. Overall, worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advance readers copy!

Rebecca Serle has done it again. Daphne, our protagonist, receives a slip of paper whenever she meets a new man she’ll have a romantic connection with. The paper tells her how long they will be romantically involved. That is, until she meets Jake, whose slip of paper has only his name.

I absolutely love the way Serle incorporates the littlest bit of the fantastical into an everyday narrative. It makes for such captivating stories. I loved that there was no justification for the expiration dates in Daphne’s life, they simply were. Her relationship with Jake seemed so effortless and heartwarming and I believed in their chemistry. I also appreciated the way the story explored her past and her previous relationships, illustrating how the expiration dates came to be correct.

This is a short book and a very quick read, but it made my jaw literally drop multiple times. They were twists I would never have guessed were coming and moved the story along in such interesting ways. I will say I was not 1000% happy with the ending, but I loved the rest of the book so much that it still gets 5 stars from me.

3.5 stars on this one! The story was good but the characters didn't do it for me. I wasn't invested in Daphne until about 60% of the way through, when the typical Serle-emotional-twist reveal occurs, and even then I still wasn't particularly tied to her. Neither of the romantic love interests were developed in a way I was particularly rooting for either of them, though I did have a fondness for Jake because he just seemed like a good person.

With that being said, the story itself was intriguing and did keep me hooked. I wasn't sure where it was going to end up, and I was glad to see the way it developed. My one wish was that the ending had been a little more open ended, especially as I felt as though the story was leading up to that.

The magical realism is never explained, but if you're okay with that then you'll probably find this one enjoyable!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!